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Improving a tree-ring reconstruction from west-central Scandinavia: 900 years of warm-season temperatures

Gunnarson, BE ; Linderholm, HW and Moberg, A (2011) In Climate Dynamics 36(36). p.97-108
Abstract
Dendroclimatological sampling of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) has been made in the province of Jamtland, in the west-central Scandinavian mountains, since the 1970s. The tree-ring width (TRW) chronology spans several thousand years and has been used to reconstruct June August temperatures back to 1632 BC. A maximum latewood density (MXD) dataset, covering the period AD 1107-1827 (with gap 1292-1315) was presented in the 1980s by Fritz Schweingruber. Here we combine these historical MXD data with recently collected MXD data covering AD 1292-2006 into a single reconstruction of April September temperatures for the period AD 1107 2006. Regional curve standardization (RCS) provides more low-frequency variability than "non-RCS" and stronger... (More)
Dendroclimatological sampling of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) has been made in the province of Jamtland, in the west-central Scandinavian mountains, since the 1970s. The tree-ring width (TRW) chronology spans several thousand years and has been used to reconstruct June August temperatures back to 1632 BC. A maximum latewood density (MXD) dataset, covering the period AD 1107-1827 (with gap 1292-1315) was presented in the 1980s by Fritz Schweingruber. Here we combine these historical MXD data with recently collected MXD data covering AD 1292-2006 into a single reconstruction of April September temperatures for the period AD 1107 2006. Regional curve standardization (RCS) provides more low-frequency variability than "non-RCS" and stronger correlation with local seasonal temperatures (51% variance explained). The MXD chronology shows a stronger relationship with temperatures than the TRW data, but the two chronologies show similar multi-decadal variations back to AD 1500. According to the MXD chronology, the period since AD 1930 and around AD 1150-1200 were the warmest during the last 900 years. Due to large uncertainties in the early part of the combined MXD chronology, it is not possible to conclude which period was the warmest. More sampling of trees growing near the tree-line is needed to further improve the MXD chronology. (Less)
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author
; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Dendroclimatology, Maximum latewood density, Scots pine, Central Scandinavian Mountains, Climate change
in
Climate Dynamics
volume
36
issue
36
pages
97 - 108
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:78650990965
ISSN
1432-0894
DOI
10.1007/s00382-010-0783-5
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
018161d1-45ea-4d6e-a793-d4d64372cb0e (old id 4448709)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:35:21
date last changed
2022-03-19 22:06:51
@article{018161d1-45ea-4d6e-a793-d4d64372cb0e,
  abstract     = {{Dendroclimatological sampling of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) has been made in the province of Jamtland, in the west-central Scandinavian mountains, since the 1970s. The tree-ring width (TRW) chronology spans several thousand years and has been used to reconstruct June August temperatures back to 1632 BC. A maximum latewood density (MXD) dataset, covering the period AD 1107-1827 (with gap 1292-1315) was presented in the 1980s by Fritz Schweingruber. Here we combine these historical MXD data with recently collected MXD data covering AD 1292-2006 into a single reconstruction of April September temperatures for the period AD 1107 2006. Regional curve standardization (RCS) provides more low-frequency variability than "non-RCS" and stronger correlation with local seasonal temperatures (51% variance explained). The MXD chronology shows a stronger relationship with temperatures than the TRW data, but the two chronologies show similar multi-decadal variations back to AD 1500. According to the MXD chronology, the period since AD 1930 and around AD 1150-1200 were the warmest during the last 900 years. Due to large uncertainties in the early part of the combined MXD chronology, it is not possible to conclude which period was the warmest. More sampling of trees growing near the tree-line is needed to further improve the MXD chronology.}},
  author       = {{Gunnarson, BE and Linderholm, HW and Moberg, A}},
  issn         = {{1432-0894}},
  keywords     = {{Dendroclimatology; Maximum latewood density; Scots pine; Central Scandinavian Mountains; Climate change}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{36}},
  pages        = {{97--108}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Climate Dynamics}},
  title        = {{Improving a tree-ring reconstruction from west-central Scandinavia: 900 years of warm-season temperatures}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0783-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00382-010-0783-5}},
  volume       = {{36}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}